Peach and Berry Fruit Compote

This picture is before cooking

What is fruit compote ? Compote is an old fashioned word that you don't hear very often.. The idea of making compote dates all the way back to Medieval Europe. 

My mom used to make fruity compotes in the 1950's for a light dessert, but who makes compote anymore? Yet, it happens to be a simple and absolutely delicious (gluten free, dairy-free, vegan) dessert that can be made with almost any fruit and shouldn't be forgotten.

By the way, compote is the French word for "mixture,"

5 Reasons To Make Fruit Compotes

1. Quick and EASY - can be made in 15 minutes

2. Healthy dessert or topping for pancakes, waffles, or muffins ( GF of course) or ice cream

3. Tastes Amazing- you can vary the fruit to the season or your personal preference

4. Practical way to use up ripe fruit- too much fruit? make a compote

5. Naturally Gluten Free and Vegan 


Which Fruits Did I Use? 

I made my compote with fresh summer peaches and a frozen berry mixture of raspberries, blueberries, sweet red cherries, and blackberries ( the mixture is from Trader Joe's and is my favorite- love the large sweet cherries).

I simply cut up the fresh peaches, combined them with the frozen berries from the Trader Joe package, cinnamon and vanilla and cooked the mixture on the stove top in a pot for about 10 minutes. OMG- what a flavorful treat with no added sweeteners!

Optional Extra Crunch: 

I added some chopped walnuts at the end. 

Want a thicker sauce? 

A tablespoon of arrowroot powder (or organic cornstarch) or chia seeds will thickens up the mixture. But that is optional. It is fabulous without the thickener.

Eat with ice cream, over gluten free cake, plain, or with cooked winter squash.

Author: Judee Algazi @Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: 
4 peaches, washed , peeled, and sliced ( you could use frozen)

1/2 bag of frozen berry mixture.
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
optional: 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds- if you want the mixture to thicken and add some extra nutrients
optional: 1 Tablespoon of pure maple syrup if your fruit is not sweet enough
10 walnuts, chopped ( added at the end or when serving)

Directions: 
Mix all the ingredients together except the walnuts. Put into a medium saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Add in walnuts and mix.

compote 

My notes: 

Thanksgiving Idea:
Spoon this heavenly mixture into the cavity of 3-4 already baked acorn squash halves. Acorn squash tends to be bland and not sweet. Baking the acorn squash halves and then filling with compote makes a beautiful side dish of vegetable, fruit, nuts, and chia seeds. I would add some fresh cranberries to the fruit mixture. Perfect for any vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free guests!

Passover Idea: 
Passover is a holiday that we traditionally refrain from leavened products, yet the Passover baked goods can be challenging and unhealthy. What could be more "Kosher for Passover" than a simple fruit compote with nuts and spices. Use frozen fruit for variety and convenience.

                                      Rosh Hashanah Idea: 

Make a fruit compote using apples and pears for the Jewish New Year! 

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Vegan Peach & Berry Crisp ( Gluten Free)

Yesterday, a local farm-stand was practically giving away  fresh Jersey peaches.

I didn't realize it until I was about to check out and I heard the farmer say, " Can  you believe nobody is buying these baskets of peaches that are just $2.00 a basket?" He caught my attention , so I took a look. There had to be about 40 decent and not too ripe large peaches in each basket. My mind started to fill with thoughts of peach crisps, peach smoothies, peaches and sweet potatoes, etc.
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Well, two baskets,  about 80 peaches and $4.00 later, I had to figure out what I was going to make.

I spent the afternoon peeling and slicing peaches. I made five peach and berry crisps, a peach and berry compote that I put in little mason jars, and I ate a lot of samples as I sliced. Despite everything,  I had still had about 40 peaches left.

Since I don't know how to " can" , and I was running out of ideas,  my husband took over. He just washed and  sliced the remaining peaches and froze them .I'll use them for peach smoothies all fall and part of the winter... yum!!

The ingredients for the peach and berry crisps: 

6 large peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup of organic maple syrup
1/2 pkg of mixed berries ( I used my favorite Trader Joe frozen mix of cherries and berries)
3 Tabespoons arrowroot powder or 3 Tablespoons of corn starch ( non GMO)- Rumford Brand
Mix everything together in a large glass pyrex pie pan. The mixture will begin to make its own juice.



The Topping: 
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup of uncooked gluten free oats
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of low glycemic coconut crystals ( instead of sugar)
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and then crumble over the fruit mixture.. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until fruit is bubbling and soft.

The crisp is gluten free, vegan, and sugar free..

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Black Bean Brownies ( SRC)

These Black bean brownies are one of the easiest and tastiest gluten free/ grain free desserts I have ever made. If you are a true chocolate lover, you will go Gag a over these brownies. 

The batter is prepared in the blender, so they are ridiculously quick to make. In addition, they can be baked in parchment paper, so there is no pan to clean. Unfortunately, the day I made them, I did not have any parchment paper, so I had a cleanup.

                                        

Many gluten free recipes use beans instead of flour for cakes. I don't know why or how, but the black beans make the brownies moist and super super fabulous. They taste rich and fudgy despite being grain free.

This recipe is a no brainer.
It's easy ( I made it  in the blender), healthy ( lots of fiber and protein) and delicious ( smooth, creamy, and fudgy).  No one will ever know about the beans if you don't tell them. Shh! it's our secret...

Adapted the recipe from C Mom Cook, 

Shelley's Ingredients with a few adaptions
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (I used a 15 ounce can - measured out perfectly)
 I used 1/4 cup olive oil  or oil of your choice 
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar ( I used coconut palm crystals) 
1 teaspoon instant ground cinnamon
1/4 + 1/4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Shelley's Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9″ x 9″ (8″ x 8″ works too) baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave enough parchment paper on the sides to create a sling. This will make it easier when you lift out the end product.

Add all of the wet ingredients – beans, oil, eggs, and vanilla – together in a bowl. Using an immersion blender, pulse the mixture a few times to get the ingredients to come together. Then blend fully until the mixture is smooth.  ( I used the regular blender--) 

Add the dry ingredients – cocoa, coconut palm crystals ( or sugar) , cinnamon and baking powder to the bowl. Again with the immersion blender, pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth.

 Add half of the chocolate chips (this is where I used the mini chips). Pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth. The chocolate chips do not have to completely disintegrate.


Add the other half of the chocolate chips to the mixture. Fold in the chips with a spatula (do not blend). You want these chips to remain whole. Alternatively, reserve the chips to sprinkle on top before baking. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If you chose to reserved the chips, sprinkle them on now. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, until the center is set - do not over bake.

Allow the brownie to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper and transfer it to a cooling rack to cook completely.  Cut them into squares and enjoy!

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